What She Saw
by HellIsHere
Summary: Hermione Sees what the locket does to Ron before its final destruction. Their ensuing conversation makes Harry do something he can't resist...


**A/N – Hey everyone, hope you enjoy this, please review and tell me what you thought!**

Ron Weasley was losing hope. He had been searching for his best friends for days, but not a single trace had shown itself. Sighing, he apparated back to Shell cottage, hoping for a sign soon.

As he was just drifting off to sleep in his bed, his deluminator began to glow faintly. Curious, he stood up and took a step towards it. The glowing became brighter.

"Hmmm. That doesn't normally happen." He whispered to himself.

He walked towards it, while it gradually got brighter with every step, until it lit up the entire room.

Ron's heart stopped at what happened next. A ball of light literally flew gracefully straight out of the deluminator, right in front of his face. As if that wasn't enough, the ball began to speak, in a voice that was painfully familiar – the voice of Hermione Granger.

"_Ron."_ It said. Nothing else. The ball started to float again, this time straight towards him, where he stood, rooted to the spot, shocked with the immense hope that was rising inside him.

The ball floated straight through his chest and continued moving behind him, while he couldn't keep his eyes off it, as if it was Hermione herself.

At this, Ron knew exactly what to do. He grabbed his coat, wand and bag filled with miscellaneous supplies and apparated, not knowing where the light would lead him.

He re- appeared inside a forest, surrounded by snow- covered trees and ice, with no birdsong, or any form of noise. The silence was extremely unnerving, but Ron knew what he was here for, he couldn't stop now.

Less than a kilometre away, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter continued their vigil, occasionally standing up and shaking to warm themselves up.

"Hermione, go inside, I'll take the next watch." Said Harry.

"All right Harry, I'll take watch in about two or three hours. Goodnight." Replied Hermione.

Hermione went inside and slumped straight onto the bed, only to be painfully reminded of Ron and the manner of his devastating departure.

"_I get it. You choose him."_

The words, spoken with such distaste re played in her mind over and over again, haunting her relentlessly, and the effect was enough to send her to tears every night.

Meanwhile, Harry kept as alert as possible, spinning his head around at regular intervals to check for danger. Something he saw caught his attention. Something shining and silver beyond a group of trees.

Harry walked slowly towards it, half expecting a unicorn, but the sight was even stranger. A silver doe. A patronus.

The doe ran towards a darker part of the forest, and against Harry's better judgement, he followed. The doe lead him to a frozen lake.

Harry thought to himself 'What could be here that I would possibly need? Is it a trap?"

At that thought, he drew Hermione's wand, ready for an attack, but instead the patronus morphed into a shining silvery glowing ball and dipped under the ice. Harry wiped the snow layer off the top of the ice, to see something he had been hoping for.

Underneath the ice, lay a magnificent sword, familiar to Harry, who incidentally was the last person to use it in combat. The sword of Godric Gryffindor.

"_Diffindo" _said Harry, casting at the ice, breaking apart the surface. He took off most of his clothes, leaving only his boxer shorts, and he winced at the incredibly cold temperature.

He dipped his feet inside the water, his muscles tensing at the intense cold feeling. Taking a deep breath, he dived in, swimming towards the sword. It was just within reach, when he felt a tug at his throat.

The tugging did not stop. Harry soon realised that he was being choked. By the locket Horcrux. He began to bang at the ice, trying to get to the surface, but it was no use. Certain his life was at an end, he heard another splash and felt a pair of powerful arms drag him effortlessly out of the water.

"Hermione?" he guessed.

The voice that answered nearly made him faint.

"Are you mental, do I look like her to you? And what the bloody hell were you thinking, jumping in with that thing around your neck?"

"RON!" Harry yelled, not caring that they may be being watched. He simply rushed towards him, nearly crushing him in a hug which wouldn't normally happen with two friends. A hug with this much affection behind it only happened with brothers.

"Yeah, and before you hex my err... favourite parts off, please let me apologise properly."

"No need, you just saved my life. I'm also sorry for driving you to do that in the first place, if I hadn't just snapped like that, you would have stayed. It would have spared poor Hermione a lot of grief."

"No Harry, I was an arse. When I said you have no family, that was a hateful lie. I'm your family, so is my family and Hermione, I'm sorry. Also, nothing can undo what I did. I cant believe I did that to you two."

"Forget it Ron, it was my fault just as much as yours, maybe even more so. Anyway, down to business. Destroy it." Said Harry, handing Ron the sword and locket.

Fear flooded Ron's features, and he started shaking.

"No, I can't, it'll just mess with my head again. I think it affects me worse than you or Hermione."

"All the more reason. If you don't want to do it, why did you come back?"

Determination replaced the obvious fear in Ron's face.

"I'll speak to it, when it opens, slash it with the sword. Don't give it time to hurt you."

Ron nodded.

Harry said "Open", but to Ron it sounded like a strangled hiss.

The next scene played out like a nightmare. The locket seemed to explode with black smoke, enveloping the surrounding area in a shroud of darkness.

A terribly familiar, high pitched voice spoke, it was the part of Voldemort's soul.

"_I have seen your heart, Ronald Weasley and it is mine. I have seen your fears and dreams. All that you desire is possible, but all that you fear is possible. "_

Ron's determination ebbed away, and an expression of terror entered his face.

"DON'T LISTEN TO IT RON! KILL IT!"

"_Least loved by the mother who craved a daughter. Least loved by the one girl you love, the one who prefers your best friend."_

But then the scene only worsened. An image of Harry came out of the locket.

"_We were better without you. Happier without you. Your mother confessed she would prefer me as a son."_

"RON, THAT'S NOT ME! KILL IT! DON'T LISTEN TO IT!"

Determination flooded his features once more, and Ron picked up the sword, ready to rid the world of this terrible object. But once again, the situation became more dire.

An image of Hermione came out of the locket. It was more beautiful, and yet more terrible than the real Hermione, but convincing to the young man looking upon it.

"_Who could look at you, next to the Chosen one? What woman would take you, when Harry Potter is always so nearby? It was always Harry. Harry, Harry, Harry" _The way the locket-Hermione said Harry's name reeked of worship and reverence, and had the desired effect. Ron dropped to his knees, a few tears escaping his sapphire blue eyes.

Suddenly, the sadness was replaced with rage. A rage of the likes that neither Harry or Ron had ever felt before. Ron roared with enough power to scare a lion, charged towards the locket, raising the sword above his head and brought it down with immense force, and The locket Horcrux was no more.

"Finally, this day is over. I need to sleep." Said Ron, with incredible relief.

"Not yet mate, remember, you still have to talk to Hermione." Replied Harry.

"Right... Could we fix that Horcrux? I'd rather have another round with that thing right now to be honest." Said Ron, unable to keep a straight face.

Harry sniggered a bit, until he saw what was behind the trees. It had bushy brown hair, pale skin and... his jacket.

When Ron noticed the smile vanish from Harry's face, he immediately looked behind him, and upon seeing what was there, he turned back to Harry.

"I'm going nuts right? Please tell me that's not Hermione."

"It is Ron. We really need to talk."

They both looked straight at Harry with identical pleading expressions.

"Fine, I'll continue taking watch. Hermione, you owe me for this, and Ron, well you saved my life, so I'll let you off the hook."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him playfully, as if they were twelve again, while Ron smirked to himself, which immediately stopped when he looked back at Hermione.

"Well go in you two, I'm not going to keep watch forever."

At that, Ron and Hermione quickly walked into the tent.

Harry smiled to himself, maybe this was when they stopped dancing around each other. Or when they exploded with more force than ever... the possibilities of what could happen next made Harry's head spin, and he decided to concentrate on looking out for danger.

"Hermione, before you say anything, can I please say how unbelievably sorry I am? I was a complete bloody moron for leaving you guys like that, and if you don't ever want to see me again after this damned hunt, then fine. I know you probably hate me now so go ahead and slap me and errr... do whatever it is when you're this upset."

Hermione shook her head and against her better judgement, smiled slightly, but looked up to see Ron with his eyes shut and his cheek facing her.

"Oh, and one more thing Hermione? How much did you see?"

"Of what?"

"What happened after I pulled Harry out of the lake."

"Oh, that, well..." Hermione bit her lip and wondered if she should tell him.

"I saw everything, what the locket did and... what made you leave."

"In that case..." Ron turned his cheek to her once more and shut his eyes again.

Instead of a sharp pain, Ron felt something soft on his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw Hermione kiss him exactly on the spot he expected her to slap.

"Err, Hermione, why did you do that? When you're angry, you don't normally kiss whoever you're angry at."

"I'm not angry. Not any more at least. I have to say that what the locket put you through... I wouldn't have managed to stay for half as long as you did. I'm proud of you, you're really strong for putting up with it, not to mention coming back."

"But-"

"No Ron, if anyone should be apologising, it should be me. I had no idea I put you through that. How long have you felt this way?"

"Not too sure. I realised it in third year though, I have no idea what made me realise it either. Well now you know my deepest, darkest secret, I should probably take watch. And get away from you. Fast."

He turned to walk away, but felt Hermione tug weakly at his sleeve, looking around at her, he saw a pleading expression in her eyes. How could he say no?

"I suppose you want to stay friends then?" asked Ron, a smile creeping onto his face.

"No."

Ron's smile turned into a confused one.

"Best friends again?"

"No."

The confused expression turned to one of melancholy, and Ron sadly turned around to walk away again.

Hermione heard him mutter to himself "What was I thinking? Why would she even want anything to do with me?"

She started to walk after him, but Harry walked back in, with an irritated look on his face.

"What did you do to him? I haven't seen him so sad since after the Yule ball."

"I was _about_ to tell him that I care about him as much as he cares about me, but he jumped to the wrong conclusion and walked out. And why was he sad after the Yule ball? I thought he was just furious?"

"Because he loved you back then. I cannot believe you didn't think of that."

"To think, that I thought my heart was broken..."

"Yeah, now go out there and tell him before he gets the wrong idea. Again."

"Yes Harry, I'm not _that_ clueless about him."

Okay, so maybe now.

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"I think, when we were talking earlier, you got the wrong idea."

"What now, you don't just dislike me, but you hate me and want me to die? Well look at what kind of suicidal, moronic mission I'm doing, your wish isn't far away. If you've just come to tell me that, then leave me the hell alone, you've given me enough crap over the years anyway."

The sheer distaste Ron said those words brought tears to Hermione's eyes. 'This is what Ron feels', she thought. 'I need to stop this right now.'

"You still have the wrong idea." Said Hermione.

The confusion retuned to Ron's mind.

"Okay, so what the hell could it possibly be? You've told me you don't like me, you don't dislike me, you don't hate me, so what else is there?"

Hermione shook her head, laughing slightly.

"What's so funny?"

"I can't believe you're being so thick about this. Are you telling me that there is no other possiblilty to any other feelings I might have for you?"

"Yes, thats exactly what I'm saying. Please stop playing with me and TELL ME!" Whined Ron.

"This is actually comical, the way you're dealing with this situation."

"Hermione, please tell me before my head explodes."

"As amusing as that would be, Fine. Close your eyes."

Ron did so. A few seconds later, he felt Hermione's soft lips on him again, but this time, for the first time, on his own lips. He felt like dancing on the spot, but he knew he had to make his and Hermione's first kiss perfect and memorable, for both of them.

He gently lifted her from the spot, holding her by her waist, slowly moving his hands to her thighs, eventually lifting her clean off her feet. The kiss was clearly not just awkward and shy anymore. It was filled with frantic desire. Hermione wound her thighs around Ron's waist and hugged her arms around his neck, while forcing herself against his chest.

Ron took his lips of her momentarily to ask her with a goofy grin on his face-

"Best friends with benefits?"

"RON!"

"Kidding!" and their snog session resumed.

Harry, sensing what was happening, walked around the back of the tent and to the front, telling them-

"So I guess I'll be taking watch tonight? Ron, you can't play your 'I saved your life card' any more, you already used it, Hermione, you owe me big time!"

"SHUT UP HARRY!" they both yelled, though clearly amused.

Harry grinned to himself, knowing that he would definitely blackmail them with this later.

The next morning, Harry walked back inside the tent, seeing his two best friends enveloped in each other's arms, clearly not wearing shirts, and well who knows what else they weren't wearing?

Shaking the thought out of his head, he shook them both awake, saying "Get up We still have a lot of work to do."

"Ughhh Harry, what time is it?" asked Hermione

"Blackmail time!" replied Harry.

Ron and Hermione's eyes suddenly widened, this long, arduous quest for Voldemort's Horcruxes was about to get even longer.

**Phew, now that that's over, you can tell me how it was! Flames welcome, as long as you give a reason! Otherwise, tell me what was good, bad or what could be improved! Bye Bye!**

**P.S – If you liked it, I may turn it into a two-shot or multi chapter fic.**


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